Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS Statistical Analysis Report October 1995 Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools Nancy Carey Elizabeth Farris Westat, Inc Michael Sikes National Endowment for the Arts Rita Foy National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum, and Assessment Judi Carpenter Project Officer National Center for Education Statistics U S Department of Education Office of Educational Research and Improvement NCES 95-082

US Department of Education Richard W Riley Secretary OffIce of Educational Research and Improvement Sharon P Robinson Assistant Secretary National Center for Education Statistics Jeanne E Grifllth Acting Commissioner National Endowment for the Arts Jane Alexander Chairman OffIce of Partnership Scott Sanders Deputy Chairman Arts in Education Program Doug Herbert Director Paul Planchon Associate Commissioner National Center for Education Statistics The purpose of the Center is to collect and report statistics and information showing the condition and progress of education in the United States and other nations in order to promote and accelerate the improvement of American education --Section 402(b) of the National Education Statistics Act of 1994 (20 USC 9001) October 1995 Contact: Judi Carpenter (202) 219-1333 This report was prepared by Westat, hc, under contract with the National Center for Education Statistics and under a cooperative agreement with the National Endowment for the Arts For sale by the US Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328 ISBN 0-16 -048387-5

Highlights Arts Education in Public Elementary Schools Music is offered in 97 percent of public elementary schools in the United States (figure 1) About half (56 percent) of the elementary schools that offer music include general, instrumental, and vocal music in their instructional programs (figure 2) Almost three-quarters (70 percent) of public elementa~ schools that offer music reported that the subject is taught by certified music specialists only; 22 percent indicated that both specialists and classroom teachers provide instruction Only 8 percent of elementary schools leave music instruction totally up to the classroom teacherx (figure 3) Visual arts is offered in 85 percent of public elementary schools (figure 1) Visual arts specialists oni y provide instruction in 43 percent of these schools, while both specialists and classroom teachers do so in 29 percent of the schools In 28 percent of these schools, visual arts is taught by classroom teachers only (figure 3) Visual arts is taught solely by classroom teachers in 53 percent of elementary schools in the West, but only 7 percent of schools in the Northeast (figure 4) Less than half (43 percent) of public elementary schools offer any instruction in dance Only 7 percent of schools enlist dance specialists to teach dance; otherwise, dance is taught by physical education teachers (figure 6) Very few public elementary schools (8 percent) offer drama/theatre as a separate subject taught by specialists Fifty-six percent of elementary schools reported that teachem use dramatic activities, such as enacting stories or plays, to teach other subjects (figure 7) Nearly all public elementary schools (92 percent) provide creative writing instruction as part of the language arts curriculum, rather than offer separate programs in creative writing (figure 8) Arts Education in Public Secondary Schools The majority of public secondary schoois offer separate instruction in music (94 percent) and visual arts (89 percent) About half of secondary schools offer separate instruction in drama/theatre (54 percent) and creative writing (47 percent) Very few secondary schools (13 percent) offer classes in dance (figure 9) 111

In schools that offer separate instruction in arts subjects, an average of 45 courses in music and 5 in visual arts are taught Approximate y 2 courses each are provided in drama/theatre, creative writing, and dance (table 6) Thirty-nine percent of all public secondary schools reported that their chstricts require credit specifically in the ark for graduation Another 22 percent require credit in the arts as an option within a specified group of courses, such as arts or foreign language or computer science (table 8) Arts Education at Both Instructional Levels Most public elementary and second ~ schools that offer separate instruction in arts subjects have curriculum guidelines provided by their school districts (figures 10 and 11) However, only one-third of schools at both instructional levels reported that their districts had arts coordinators or curriculum specialists on staff (table 7) Slightly more than one-third of public elementary and secondary schools have had artists-in-residence during the past 5 years (figure 13) These artists contributed to schools arts programs primarily though providing knowledge about art forms to students through exhibition or instruction (figure 14) The most notable way that parents support their children s artistic efforts is through attendance at school arts events Volunteering in various arts activities is the least likely avenue for parents to provide support for arts education programs (table 12) iv

Table of Contents Page Highlights *iii Introduction 1 ArtsEducationinPublicElementarySchools 3 How Are Music and Visual Arts Being Taught in Public Elementary Schools? 3 Teachers 5 TimeDevotedtoInstruction = 8 SpeciallyEquipped Spaces formusic and Visual ArtsInstmction; 9 IntegrationofMusicandVisualArts 9 How MElement~Schwls Include Otier A* SubjecK in~eir Curricula? 10 Dance 10 Drama and Theatre 11 Creative Writing 12 Arts Education in Public Secondary Schools 12 How Extensive Is Arts Education in Public Secondary Schools? 13 Other Support for Arts Education in Elementary and Seconda~ Schools 15 How Do School Districts Provide Additional Support for Arts Education? 16 Curriculum Guidelines 16 Voluntary National Standards for Arts Education 17 Arts Coordinators 18 Graduation Requirements 19 How Do Elementary and Secondary Schools Support Arts Programs and Activities? 20 Professional Development inthe Arts 21 Artist-in-Residence Programs 21 Presentations of Students Art Work 23 UseofTechnology in Teaching the Arts 26 Parmtal Support forthe Arts 27 Changes in Arts Programs in Public Schools in the Past 5 years 28 Decision Makers Regarding the Arts Programs Offered in Public Schools 29 Schools Views on the Importance of Arts Education 30 Summary and Conclusions 31

List of Appendices Appendix A Survey Methodology and Data Reliability 35 B Tables of Standard Errors 45 c Survey Forms 69 vi

List of Figures Figure Page 1 2 3 4 5 Percent of public elementary schools that offer music and visual arts: 1994 4 Percent of public elementary schools with music programs that include general, instrumental, orvocalmusic: 1994 4 Percent of public elementary schools that offer music and visual arts, by typeofinstmctor: 1994 0 5 Percent of public elementary schools that offer visual arts, by type of instructor, bygeographic region: 1994 6 Percent of public elementary schools that offer music and visual arts andareserved byartsspecialists: 1994 7 6 7 Percent of public elementary schools that offer dance: 1994 Percent of public elementary schools that offer drama and theat~: 1994 11 11 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Percent of public elementary schools offering various methods of creative writing instruction: 1994 0 0 o O O O 12 Percent of public secondary schools that offer separate instruction in various arts subjects: 1994 13 Percent of public elementary schools that offer music and visual arts and indicating that curriculum guidelines are provided by the district: 1994 16 Percent of public secondary schools that offer instruction in various arts subjects and indicating that curriculum guidelines are provided by the district: 1994 Percent of public elementary and secondary schools indicating awareness of the vohmtary National Standards for Arts Education, and percent of those schools incorporating some of the standards into their arts programs: 1994 18 Percent of public elementary and secondary schools having artists-in-residence in various arts subjects during the past 5 years: 1994 22 Percent of public elementary and secondary schools indicating the contributions their artists-in-residence have made to the school: 1994 22 Percent of public elementary and secondary schools that publish literary magazines ofstudents work: 1994 25 Percent of public elementary and secondary schools indicating the use or integration of technology in the teaching of various arts subjects: 1994 26 Percent of respondents indicating that education in various arts subjects is essential or very important relative to other academic subjects: 1994 31 vii

List of Tables Table Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Percent of public elementary schools with full- and part-time arts specialists, bythenumber ofspecialistsonsti 1994 7 Mean number of minutes per week students in public elementary schools receive separate instruction in music and visual arts from both arts specialists and classroom teachers: 1994 8 Percent of public elementary schools that offer instruction in music and visual arts and indicating that a specially equipped space is provided, by school characteristics: 1994 9 Percent of public elementa~ schools with music and visual arts specialists on staff and indicating the use of different activities in their teaching: 1994 10 Percent of public secondary schools that offer separate instruction in various arts subjects, by school characteristics: 1994 14 Mean number of coumes, teachem, and specially equipped spaces provided by public secondary schools, by arts subject: 1993-94 15 Percent of public elementary and secondary schools having a district arts coordinator or curriculum specialist in the arts, by school characteristics: 1994 19 Percent of public secondary schools requiring credit in the arts for graduation, byschoolcharacteristics: 1994 20 Percent of public elementary and secondary schools offering insemice training or other professional development activities in the arts, by school characteristics: 1993-94 21 Mean number of informal and formal exhibitions and performances of students art work in all public elementary and secondary schools: 1993-94 24 Percent of public elementary and secondary schools that publish literary magazines of students work, by school characteristics: 1994 25 Percent of public elementary and secondary schools indicating the extent of parental involvement in various activities related to the school s arts program: 1994 27 Percent of public elementary and secondary schools indicating how various aspects of the school s arts program have changed in the past 5 years: 1994 29 Percent of public elementary and secondary schools indicating the extent to which various influencers make decisions regarding the school s arts program: 1994 30 Number and percent of responding public schools in the study sample and estimated number and percent of public schools the sample represents, by school characteristics: 1994 38 Vlll

Introduction In Toward Civilization: A Report on Arts Education (National Endowment for the Arts 1988) the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) identifies several reasons why arts education is important The first purpose of arts education is to give young people a sense of civilization The great works of art provide guideposts to cultural literacy (p 14) Arts education also fosters creativity and teaches effective communication Another purpose of arts education is to provide tools for critical assessment of what one reads, sees, and hears In addition, the arts can often reach students who traditionally have had difficulty in standard academic environments and can improve the general learning environment for all students The Goals 2000: Educate America Act recently passed into law by Congress recognizes the importance of arts education by acknowledging the arts as one of the core subjects in the National Education Goals Goal 3 states that children will be able to demonstrate competency over challenging subject matter, including the arts In addition, the Improving America s Schools Acf of 1994, Part D - Arts in Education, states that arts education should bean integral part of the elementary and secondary school curriculum Other national initiatives related to arts education, such as the voluntary National Standards for Arts Education and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in the Arts, also seek to place the arts in the mainstream of educational reform Despite these initiatives in arts education, there have been no national data documenting the status of arts education since 1989, when the National Arts Education Research Center at the University of Illinois conducted a survey of arts education in American public schools (Leonhard 1991) In order to obtain current information on this topic, NEA and the National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum, and Assessment (formerly the Office of Research) in the US Department of Education commissioned a sumey to collect data concerning public schools policies and practices in arts education The information from the suwey is intended for use in the development of policies and implementation of pmgrarns designed to meet state standards and national education goals such as those set forth by the Goals 2000 Act The survey was conducted during fall 1994 for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) by Westat, Inc, a research firm in Rockville, Maryland, through the NCES Fast Response Sumey System (FRSS) Since the format of arts instruction in elementary and secondary schools differs considerably, two separate survey instruments were designed for this study However, both surveys included a common set of questions concerning general information applicable to both instructional levels about schools arts programs The questiomaires were addressed to the principals, who were asked to complete them or have the staff persons most 1

knowledgeable about the schools arts programs provide information on the following general questions: What arts subjects are being taught in public schools, and how are they taught? How do schools and districts support arts education? How have schools arts programs changed compared to 5 years ago? The elementary and secondary surveys were conducted with two different nationally representative samples of public schools Included in the elementary school sample were schools that had a beginning grade of 6 or lower, but no grade higher than grade 8, as well as combined schools, which are schools that include both elementary and secondary grades Included in the secondary sample were schools that had no grade lower than 7, and combined schools Sumey findings are presented separately for all elementary schools and all secondary schools, and by the following school characteristics: School enrollment Elementary - Small: less than 300 - Moderate: 300-599 - Large: 600 or more Secondary - Small: less than 400 - Moderate: 400-999 - Large: 1000 or more Geographic region - Northeast - Southeast - Central - West Metropolitan status - City - Urban fringe - Town - Rural Data have been weighted to national estimates of public schools All comparative statements made in this report have been tested for statistical significance through chi-square tests or t-tests 2

adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni adjustment and are significant at the 05 level or better However, not all statistically significant comparisons have been pnxsented Arts Education in Public Elementary Schools The Elementary Arts Education Survey was designed to take into account several aspects of elementary school arts education programs First, when arts instruction is included it is generally part of the regular curriculum and is provided either by arts specialists or by classroom teachem Second, all students in an elementary school are typicaliy provided instruction in the same curriculum Finally, arts education programs in elementary schools primarily focus on instruction in music and visual arts In order to capture how elementary schools provide the major portion of arts instruction to students, rwpondents were asked a series of questions concerning both music and visual arts Since there are different formats for teaching the arts, the first question asked whether the subject is taught in a separate class by an arts specialist, by the classroom teachers, or by both To determine how much of the students time schools are committing to instruction in music and visual arts, respondents were asked to estimate the average number of minutes of class time per week devoted to separate instruction in each subject As a meamue of the extent to which students have access to specialized expertise in each subjec~ questions about the number of full- and part-time music and visual arts specialists on the school s staff were included Respondents also we~ asked whether the school provides specially equipped spaces for teaching music and visual arts, since providing appropriate materials and facilities is another indication of a school s commitment to its arts program Finally, to assess the extent to which the arts are being integrated into the non-arts Curriculum in schools, respondents were asked how the music and visual arts specialists integrate other academic subjects into their arts instruction and whether the specialists consult with regular classroom teachers to facilitate incorporating the arts into their instruction The elementary survey also included three separate questions that allowed schools to describe in mo~ general terms the educational programs in dance, drama/theatre, and creative writing The primary focus of these questions was to determine whether these subjects are treated as separate arts subjects or are provided within the instructional programs of other subject areas, such as physical education or language arts How Are Music and Visual Arts Being Taught in Public Elementary Schools? Music is almost universally included in the educational programs of public elementary schools in the United States Visual arts also is offered in the majority of the Nation s public elementary schools, but to a lesser extent than music (figure 1) More than half of elementary schools that offer music inc~ude general, instrumental, and vocal music in their instructional 3

programs (figure 2); few offer only one of these three types of music instruction One might expect that in this time of reduced budgets many schools would limit music instruction to general music, but only 10 percent of elementmy schools indicated that this was the case Figure I--Percent of public elementary schools that offer music and visual arts: 1994 Music No music No visuai ans Visual Arts Music Instruction Visual arts instruction SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education -sties, Fast Response Survey System, Atis Education Swvey, FRSS 50,1994 Figure 2--Percent of public elementary schools with music programs that include general, instrumental, or vocal music: 1994 Percent 100 so 60 1 5s 40-20- 10 0 Ge;eral, Gene&1 and Generk and lnstrukentaj Ge;eral Vocal music Instrumental instrumental, vocal music instrumental and vocal music only only music only and vocal music music music Typa of musk instruction NOTE: Based on the number of elementary schools that offer music 56,663 (97 percent) SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, Arts Education Survey, FRSS 50,1994

Teachers Elementary schools utilize both certified arts specialists and classroom teachers to provide instruction in music and visual arts For music, about two-thirds of schools reported that the subject is taught by specialists only, while another 22 percent indicated that both specialists and classroom teachers provide the instruction Only 8 percent of elementary schools leave music instruction totally up to the classroom teachers (figure 3) Figure 3--Percent of public elementary schools that offer music and visual arts, by type of instructor: 1994 Mualc Vlsuel Arts Taught by ~:$:and 1 teachem Taught by classroom teachers only NOTE: Based on the number of elementary schools that offer instruction in each subjx music -56,663 (97 percentk visual arts -49,683 (85 percent) Total number of elementay schools = 58,261 SOURCE: US Deptutment of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Faat Response Survey System, Arts Education Sunreyv FRk 50,1994 A higher percentage (28 percent) of elementary schools rely solely on classroom teachers to provide visual arts instruction This is particularly true for schools in the West, where 53 percent of schools reported that visual arts instruction is provided by the classroom teacherx only (figure 4) Conversely, in the Northeast, only 7 percent of schools do not include visual arts specialists on their teaching staff

Figure 4--Percent of public elementary schools that offer visual art% by type of instructor, by geographic region: 1994 U Northeast southeast Central g west 58 Percent of schools 1oo- 80-60- 40-20- o~ Taught by specialists only Taught by specialists and classroom teachers Visual arts instruction Taught by classroom teachers only NOTE: Based on the number of ekxnentq schools that offer visual arts: 49,683 (85 percent) SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Suwey System, Arts Education Survey: FRSS 50, 1994 Arts specialists can be part of the staff at elementary schools either as Ml-time teachers or as part-time, itinerant instructors Specialists who are at the school full time can provide both students and teachers with more access to instruction and expertise than those who are there on apart-time basis Therefore, the presence of at least one full-time specialist can be used as a measure of access to expertise While more than one part-time specialist can provide the same number of hours on site, they may not be as integrated into the school s staff and its culture as a full-time staff member

I About half of elementary schools have at least one full-time music specialist on staff (figure 5) Fewer schools have full-time visual arts specialists on staff Moreover, the majority of schools have only one arts specialist available, whether or not the instructor is full time or part time (table 1) This indicates that in schools where the specialists are part time, students do not have as much access to expertise as those with full-time specialists on site Figure 5--Percent of public elementary schools that offer music and visual arts and are served by arts specialists: 1994 Viuml Atm, yetdg:f n-tim NOTE: Based on the number of elementq schools that offer instmction in each subjmusic -56,663 (97 percent); visual arts -49,683 (85 percent) SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, Atts Education Survey, FRSS 50,1994 Table l--percent of public elementary schools with full- and part-time arts specialists, by the number of specialists on stafw 1994 Number of specialists I Music Visual arts Full time 1 69 86 2 25 13 3 ormore 6 2 Part time 1 60 86 2 27 10 3 ormore 13 4 NOTE: Based on the number of elementary schools that have arts specialists in each subject: music -52,105 (92 percent); visual arts -35,578 (72 percent) Percents may not sum to 100 because of rounding SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, Arts Education Survey, FRSS 50, 1994 7

I Time Devoted to Instruction The amount of time students spend in academic learning in a particular subject is indicative of the level of achievement schools expect of students In this survey, the amount of time students receive instruction in music and visual arts was examined in terms of the mean number of minutes per week devoted to separate instruction in each subject (table 2) In general, during fall 1994 students received an average of 75 minutes of separate instruction in music and 78 minutes in visual arts Schools where music instruction was provided only by specialists offered more instruction time than those where it was provided only by the classroom teachers This was not the case for visual arts instruction, where the difference between 77 and 65 minutes was not statistically significant However, in those schools where both specialists and classroom teachers provided instruction, students received even more time for both music and visual arts It appears, therefore, that when classroom teachers are teaching the arts in schools where specialists are also providing instruction, they are increasing the total amount of time students spend in arts instruction Table 2--Mean number of minutes per week students in public elementary schools receive separate instruction in music and visual arts from both arts specialists and classroom teachers: 1994 I Percent Mean number Type of instruction of schools of minutes Music All schools offering music 100 Schools where instruction is provided by both specialists and classroom teachers 22 Schools where instruction is provided by Specialists only 70 Schools where instmction is provided by classroom teachers only 8 75 92 72 49 Visual arts All schools offering vmual arts 100 78 Schools where instruction is provided by both specialists and classroom teachers 28 91 Schools where instruction is provided by Specialists only 43 77 Schools where instruction is provided by classroom teachers only 29 65 NOTE: Based on the number of elementary schools that offer instruction in each subject: music -56,663 (97 percent); visual ants -49,683 (85 percent) SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, Afis Education Sumey, FRSS 50, 1994 8

Specially Equipped Spaces for Music and Visual Arts Instruction Arts specialists in some schools have their own classrooms in which they have access to supplies and materials that can facilitate their teaching In other schools, the arts specialists move fmm classroom to classroom, camying their supplies with them on an art cm% or the classroom teachers themselves may provide the instruction to students in their regular classrooms Nearly three-quartm of public elementary schools reported that they provided a separate, specially equipped space for music instruction in 1994, and about half provided such a space for visual arts (table 3) Schools in the West were the least likely to provide space for teaching visual arts (36 percent), which reflects the earlier reported finding that schools in this region of the country rely more heavily on classroom teachers to teach visual arts Table 3--Percent of public elementary schools that offer instruction in music and visual arts and indicating that a specially equipped space is provided, by school characteristics: 1994 School chamcteristic I Music I Visual arts All public eleznentq schools Size of enrollment SmalL Moderate Large 72 59 74 81 56 41 57 67 Metropolitan ShtUS City o Urban fringe oe Town Rural Geographic region Northeast southeast Central West 74 72 73 69 71 70 79 68 @ 55 54 53 69 57 66 36 NOTE: Based on the number of elementary schools that offer instruction in each subjed music -56,663 (97 percentk visual atts -49,683 (85 percent) SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, Atis Education Survey, FRSS 50,1994 Integration of Music and Visual Arts Interdisciplinary instruction in academic subject areas is becoming more common in elementary grades, and this includes instruction in the arts Both classroom teachem and arts specialists can promote the integration of the arts into instruction in other academic subjects Results of this sumey indicated that neither music nor visual arts specialists are teaching the arts in isolation from other subjects Close to 90 percent of public 9

elementary schools with visual arts specialists on staff reported that the specialists integrate other subjects into their teaching of visual arts (table 4) Almost the same percentage reported that these specialists also consult with classroom teachers so that the teachers can integrate the arts into their teaching of non-arts subjects About three-quarters of elementary schools with music specialists on staff reported that the specialists also include these kinds of integration and consultation in their teaching activities However, less than half of all schools with music or visual arts specialists on staff reported that they collaborate or team teach with other arts specialists Table 4--Percent of public elementary schools with music and visual arts specialists on staff and indicating the use of different activities in their teaching: 1994 Teaching activity I Music I Visual arts Integrate other academic subjects into am instnmtion o 72 88 Consult with classroom teachers on incorporating the @ into the teaching of other academic subjects 69 86 Collaborate or team teach with other arts specialists 40 44 NOTE: Based on the number of elunentq schools that have am specialist ih each subject: music -52,105 (92 Penxntk visual arts -35$78 (72 percent) SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Faat Response Stuvey System, Atis Education Survey; FRSS 50,1994 How Do Elementary Schools Include Other Arts Subjects in Their Curricula? Instruction in the arts can enhance Ieaming in other academic subjects through interdisciplinary instruction, but schools can also subsume the arts within programs in other instructional areas For example, dance instruction can be part of the physical education program, and creative writing and drama/theatm can be taught wi~n the language arts curriculum While this does not necessarily y lead to an inadequate educational program, it can leave instruction in the arts subjects up to non-arts teachem The result is that the arts do not get emphasized Findings from this survey, reported below, supported this argument Dance Dance instruction does not receive the kind of commitment ffom schools that music and visual arts do Only 43 percent of all public elementary schools offer any instruction in dance (figure 6) Furthermore, very few schools offer dance as a separate subject or enlist certified dance teachers to provide the instruction Only 4 percent of schools offer it as a separate subject taught by a dance specialist Instead, dance instruction is 10

generally offered by physical education teachem, and it is taught by a dance specialist within the physical education program in only 3 percent of all elementary schools Figure 6--Percent of public elementary schools that offer dance: 1994 Sepsmte dance progmm taught by a dance apaciabat No &na SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Sumey System, Atis Education Survey, FRSS 50,1994 Drama and Theatre Very few elementary schools (8 percent) offer drama as a separate subject taught by a drama/theatre specialist (figure 7) However, most schools (80 percent) do include drama/theatre in their curricula in some way In mom than half of these schools drama is included by classroom teachers using dramatic activities, such as enacting stories or plays, to teach other subjects Another 16 percent of schools that reported instruction in drama/theatre indicated that it is incorporated into the language arts curriculum Figure 7--Percent of public elementary schools that offer drama and theatre: 1994 Drama/theafre activities are used by classroom teachers to teach other subjects El 1 1 Separate drarnahheatra program taught by a dramtitheatre specialist Drarna/theatre is part of the language arts curriculum No drama/thaatre SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, Arts Education Survey: FRSS 50, 1994 11

Creative Writing Nearly all elementary schools (92 percent) provide creative writing instruction as part of the language arts curriculum, as opposed to offering separate programs in creative writing (figure 8) Very few schools reported that a creative writing specialist works directly with students and consults with teachers on a regular basis, or that an outside specialist or writer comes to the school on an invitational basis Another small percentage of schools either have a creative writing specialist on staff who consults with teachers or receive creative writing materials and suggestions for classroom activities from someone at the district level Figure 8--Percent of public elementary schools offering various methods of creative writing instruction: 1994 El En 1 Part of language arts curriculum Spaaalist on staff works wrth students and consults wth teachers regularly Specialist on staff consults wrth teachers Teachers recewa matenafs and acdvitiea from the dmttict Outside specialist works with students or teachers on an mvfiatlonal bass SOURCE: US Deputmcnt of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Respcmse Swey System, Arts Education Survey: FRSS 50,1994 n secondary schools, arts education is typically provided Arts Education I in Public Secondary Schools through elective courses that are taught by arts specialists The secondary school questiomaire therefore asked respondents to answer a series of questions about the extent to which each of five arts subjects-creative writing, dance, drama/theatre, music, and visual arts-are being taught in schools The questions asked for the following information on each subject: whether the school offers separate instruction in it, the number of separate courses offered, the number of full- and part-time teachers, the approximate total enrollment during the 1993-94 school year, the number of specially equipped spaces, labs, or studios allocated for teaching, and whether the district provides written curriculum guidelines in the subject 12

How Extensive is Arts Education in Public Secondary Schools? of the five arts subjects included in this survey, music and visual arts are offered in almost all public secondary schools, findings similar to those of the elementary survey (figure 9) About half of all public secondary schools offer separate instruction in both creative writing and drarna/theatre Relatively few secondary schools offer separate instruction in dance Figure 9--Percent of public secondary schools that offer separate instruction in various arts subjects: 1994 Percent of schools 1001 g~ 89 80 60 40 54 47 20 13 0 Music Visual arts Drama/ theatre Creative writing m Dance SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, Arts Education Survey, FRSS 50,1994 Whether or not secondary schools offer separate instruction in each of the arts subjects is related to school size and the metropolitan status of schools (table 5)1 In general, classes in the arts are more likely to be offered in larger schools and in schools in central cities and urban fringe areas However, schools in different geographic regions are more likely to offer certain arts subjects than others For example, visual arts is offered by more schools in the Northeast than by those in the Southeast or West; music is included in more schools in the Central part of the country than those in the West 1 See appendix B, table 16, for a similar table of elementary school dak 13

Table 5--Percent of public secondary schools that offer separate instruction in various arts subjects, by school characteristics: 1994 Visual Drama/ Crtive School characteristic Music ~* theatm writing Dance All public secondary schools 94 89 54 47 Size of enrollment smau Moderate Large 88 96 99 80 92 % 35 54 81 41 44 58 3 13 2$ Metropolitan S~US City Urban fringe Tow Rural Geographic region Northeast southeast Central West 99 99 96 88 98 94 99 87 95 95 88 83 98 80 94 84 70 67 57 37 53 53 47 62 53 55 44 40 53 36 51 46 24 22 9 6 12 15 8 18 SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Sumey System, Atts Education SumeyV FRSS 50,1994 More important than whether schools offer instruction in particular arts subjects, however, is the extensiveness of their arts programs, which can be examined along several dimensions The number of separate courses offered in a particular arts subject is a good indicator of the depth to which students can pursue the subject The number of teachers available to teach the arts is indicative of accessibility to expertise Finally, a school s commitment to offering quality arts pmgrarns is evidenced by providing teachem and students with specially equipped classrooms, labs, studios, and practice rooms The findings on all of these indicators reinforced those reported above regarding the extent to which public secondary schools provide separate instruction in each arts subject MOXC courses are offered in music and visual arts than in other arts subjects, with an average of 45 courses in music and 50 in visual arts (table 6) Likewise, more teachers are teaching music and visual arts than drama/theatre and dance While schools report more teachers of creative writing than those of visual arts, these data may be somewhat misleading because schools may have included English teachers, rather than exclusively teachers who specialize in creative writing, when reporting the number of teachers Finally, while schools allocate approximately one specially equipped space each for instruction in drama/theatre, creative writing, and dance, significantly more space is provided for music and visual arts The higher number of rooms reported 14

for music reflects the fact that individual practice rooms were included as specially equipped spaces Table 6--Mean number of course% teachers, and specially equipped spaces provided by public secondary schools, by arts subject: 1994 Visual DmmaJ Creative Program characteristic Music atis theatre writing Dance Number of courses 45 50 21 19 21 Nurnberofteachers 21 17 12 19 13 Number of spaces 26 18-13 12 10 NOTE: Based on the number of secondary schools that offer instruction in each subject: music -18,755 (94 percent); visual arts - 17,631 (89 percent~ drarna/theatre-10,740 (54 percent): cnmtive writing -9,256 (46 percent} dance -2,616 (13 percent) SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Fast Response Swvey System, Arts Education SuxveyY FRSS 50,1994 Other Support for Arts Education in Elementary and Secondary Schools Beyond tie numtxx of arts speci~ists on staff, the amount of time spent on arts education, the number of subjects or courses offered, or the amount of space allocated for arts instruction, schools and school districts can encourage and enhance arts education in a variety of other ways To assess the extent to which public schools are providing support for arts education, both the elementary and secondary surveys requested information on several issues Firs6 curriculum guidelines me important for the implementation of arts instruction, particularly if classroom teachem in the elementary grades are delivering the instruction, so both questionnaires asked whether the district provides teachers wifi written curriculum $mklelines in the am he presence of a district arts coordinator & Curriculum specialist in the arts also reflects districts commitment to providing administrative support for promoting achievement in the arts In addition, provision of insemice training in the arts during the 1993-94 school year was used to indicate the extent to which teachers have access to opportunities for professional development in the arts Whether or not school; had artists-inresidence within the past 5 years, and the contributions these individuals made to schools arts programs, provided another measure of support for curriculum development, teacher enhancement, and educational activities for students Both surveys also included questions on the use of technology in the arts, the extent of parental involvement in schools arts programs, and the number of performances and presentations of students art work, including the publication of a student literary magazine Fhxilly, res~ndents were asked if they were aware of the voluntary National Standards for Arts Education, and if so, whether their schools were incorporating any of the standards 15

HOW Do School With the recent development of the vohmtary National Districts Provide Standards for Arts Education (Consortium of National Arts Education Associations 1994), experts are coming to some Additional Support for Arts Education? Curriculum Guidelines consensus about the goals of arts education: what should be taught and what students should learn Although exploring the content of schools arts curricula was beyond the scope of this sumey, the questiomaires did gather data on whether districts provide teachers with curriculum guidelines The existence of such guidelines is a good indicator of consensus within the district concerning what should be taught in the arts For those elementary schools where classroom teachers are responsible for instruction in the arts, such guidelines would be particularly useful and would contribute to the quality of the educational program offered Of the public elementary schools that offer music and visual arts, at least three-quarters have curriculum guidelines in these subjects provided by the district (figure 10) The majority of public secondary schools that offer music, visual arts, and creative writing also reported having curriculum guidelines in each subject (figure 11) Of those secondary schools that offer courses in drarna/theatre, three-quarters have curriculum guidelines, while about two-thirds of schools including dance courses have such guidelines Figure 10--Percent of public elementary schools that offer music and visual arts and indicating that curriculum guidelines are provided by the district: 1994 Visual Arts guldehnes prowded guidelines prowded NOTE: Based on the number of elementary schools that offer instmction in each subjecc music -56,663 (97 percent); visual arts -49,683 (85 percent) SOURCE: US Depanment of Education National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Suivey System, Arts Education Survey; FRSS 50, 1994 16

0 I MUSIC Visual arts Drama/ Creative Dance Figure Il--Percent of public secondary schools that offer instruction in various arts subjects and indicating that curriculum guidelines are provided by the district: 1994 Pereent of schoots 100 1 80 60 40 20 theatre writing Curdculum guldellnee NOTE: Based on the number of secondmy schools that offer instmction in each subje@ music -18,755 (94 Percentk visual@ -17,631 (89 percentk dramabatre -10,740 (54 percent~ creative writing -9,256 (46 percent~ dance -2,616 (13 percent) SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Sumey System, Atis Education Sumey, FRSS 50, 1994 Voluntary National Standards for Arts Education The vohmtary National Standards for Arts Education are consensus statements about what an education in the arts should contain and are intended to improve and change how arts education is organized and delivered Approximately one-third of public elementary and secondary school respondents indicated that they were aware of the standards (figure 12) About onequarter of all schools in each sample reported that they wem both aware of the Standards and incoqmfated some of them into their curricula

Figure 12--Percent of public elementary and secondary schools indicating awareness of the voluntary National Standards for Arts Education, and percent of those schools incorporating some of the standards into their arts programs: 1994 Percent of schools 100 1 E Incorporating Awareness of standards standards 40 20 0 Elementa~ schools Secondary schools Awaranaae of standarda SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Sumey System, Arts Education Survey, FRSS 50,1994 Arts Coordinators Arts coordinators or curriculum specialists at the district level can provide access to resources and information to classroom teachem and arts specialists, as well as generally act as advocates for arts education Approximately one-third of both elementary and secondary public schools indicated that their districts have arts coordinators or curriculum specialists in the arts on staff (table 7) Large schools and schools in cities and urban t%inge areas axe more likely to have arts coordinators on their district staff than small schools and schools in towns and rural areas 18

Table 7--Percent of public elementary and secondary schools having a district arts coordinator or curriculum specialist in the art% by school characteristics: 1994 School characteristic I Eknentq I Secondmy AUpublicsckols 38 36 Size of enrollment Small Moderate Large Metropolitan status City Urban fringe Town Rural Geographic region Northeast Southeast Central West 30 37 49 61 43 24 26 46 46 36 31 27 34 52 54 52 25 27 48 37 30 35 SOURCE: U S Department of Education, National Ccnterfor Edu@ion Stiistics, F@ Response!Xuvey System, Arts Education Survey, FRSS 50,1994 Graduation Requirements Another way that school districts can emphasize the importance of arts education and encourage students to enroll in arts courses is through imposing graduation requirements that include the ats in some way The secondary school survey included a question about graduation requirements in the arts Thirty-nine percent of all secondary schools reported that their districts require credit specifically in the arts for graduation (table 8) Schools in the Northeast are more likely to require specific arts credit than those in other geographic regions Another 22 percent of secondary schools require credit in the arts as an option within a specified group of courses, such as arts or foreign language or computer science 19

Table 8--Percent of public secondary schools requiring credit in the arts for graduation, by school characteristics: 1994 Credit in the am Credit required, but as an specifically in the option within a School characteristic arts required group of specified subjectsl All public swondary schools2 Size of enrollment Smal l Moderate Large Metropolitan status City Urban fringe Town Rural Geographic region Nonbeaste Southeast o Central West 39 41 33 43 48 38 38 36 61 23 31 45 22 15 23 30 21 35 26 14 20 15 20 28 1 For example, art, foreign language, or computer science 2Based on the number of secondary schools that are not intermediate or junior high schools and include grade 12: 15,955 (80 percent) SOURCE: US Depatment of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, Arts Education Stuvey, FRSS 50,1994 How Do Elementary and Secondary Schools Support Arts Programs and Activities? Arts education can also be supported at the school level in a number of ways Administrators can provide teachers access to insemice education or opportunities for other professional development activities Artist-in-residence programs can provide teacher enhancement opportunities, as well as expose teachers and students to individuals who create art as their primary professional activity Schools can further acknowledge the value of artistic expression by providing avenues for the display, performance, and publication of students art work Also, schools can provide teachers and students with opportunities to use technology in their teaching and learning of the arts Finally, parental involvement in schools arts programs may reflect a commitment on the part of the school to emphasize students arts education 20

Professional Development About half of all public elementary schools reported that during in the Arts the 1993-94 school year the school or their district had offered teachers inservice training or other professional development activities in the arts (table 9) A comparable number of secondary schools reported that the school or district had offered these opportunities to their staff Schools in central cities and urban fringe areas were more likely to offer teacher insemice activities than those in towns and rural areas Table 9--Percent of public elementary and secondary schools offering inservice training or other professional development activities in the arts, by school characteristics: 1993-94 - School characteristic I Elementary I Secon&ry Allpublicschools 51 43 Size of enroknent Smal l Moderate Large 41 50 60 35 41 59 Metropolitan status City Urban fringe Town Rural Geographic region Nodmast southeast Central West 66 63 38 35 52 57 45 49 63 55 39 31 46 43 38 48 SOURCE: US Deptiment of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, Arts Education Survey, FRSS 50, 1994 Artist-in-Residence Programs Schools were asked whether they had supported any artists-inresidence during the past 5 years and, if so, to specify the artists areas of expertise The choices were creative writing, dance, drama/theatre, folklore, music, and visual arts Slightly more than one-third of elementary and secondary schools indicated that artists had been in residence during that time period (figure 13) While schools reported artists-in-residence in all of the arts areas listed, very few secondary schools had supported any in either dance or folklore According to both elementary and secondary respondents, these artists-in-residence made the greatest contribution to schools arts programs by providing knowledge about art forms to students through exhibition or instruction (figure 14) Significantly fewer artists-in-residence provided input on curriculum development or insemice for teachem 21

Figure 13--Percent of public elementary and secondary schools having artists-in-residence in various arts subjects during the past 5 years: 1994 Percent of schools 100 80 Elementary Second~ 60 1 40 40-20- I 0 In one or Music Vis~ arts Drama/ Creatwe Dance more theatre wntmg subpxta Artist-in-reddenoe Folklore SOURCE: US Departmatt of Educatim, National Center for Education Statistics, F=t Reapoase Sutwy System, Ms Education SumeyY FRSS 50,1994 Figure 14--Percent of public elementary and secondary schools indicating the contributions their artistsin-residence have made to the school: 1994 Elemer#ary secondary 40-37 30 Permofeohoole 1oo- 80-60- 20- I 0 Prowded knowledge Provided knowledge Prowded mpuf on about art forms to about arl forms or arts curriculum studeris through education through development exhibition or instrtiion teacher inservics training Contmuuon NOTE: Bssed on the number of schools having an artist-in-residence: elementary - 23,606 (40 pementk secondaty -6,966 (25 percent) SOURCE: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, Arts Education Survey; FRSS 50,1994 22